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Back lawn dying

gamcguirenqQ0aFQQgamcguirenqQ0aFQQ Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hello, I hope someone can help and give some great advice please.
I live in the east of Scotland.
I have a back lawn, 5m x 10m with an incline down towards the house.
The grass tends to die off and go yellow every season and takes the whole spring and summer to fix.
I believe the lawn is very compacted and old tree roots will also stretch under the lawn.
half the lawn is in shade and contains moss after the winter as it remains damp for long periods.
Currently I have patchy areas and sporadic growth.
My kids use the grass so staying of it for months on end is not an option.
What would people recommend?

aerating? Reseed? Digging up?
fertilising?

please help.

Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Picture,?
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    Shade is likely what’s need to protect the grass.  Ive put in a line of young beech across my lawn, not high not bushy yet, but the grass around them were super lush last year.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Shade in East Scotland? That’s a good one!

    I would guess aerating, scarifying and fertilising are what is needed along with regular mowing. A photo would help, as Nanny Beach says.
    Rutland, England
  • Chris-P-BaconChris-P-Bacon Posts: 943
    Shade + moss + damp + compacted + kids + patchy = give up.
    Seriously, your wasting effort, time & money IMHO.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I was thinking much the same - do what you can with regular mowing and maybe feeding, and aeration if you can manage it without damaging the tree roots (some trees will sucker if the roots get damaged), but be prepared to put up with the summer yellowing and general wear-and-tear and the resulting compaction until the children have grown up past the playing outside stages. Then you can choose something more suited to the conditions than grass.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • gamcguirenqQ0aFQQgamcguirenqQ0aFQQ Posts: 2

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Most of that yellow looks like thatch. Scarifying, aerating and feeding will go a long way to help.  It  may pay to hire a machine to do the raking, and scarifying,  you will be surprised how much comes out.  It will look awful for a while , but it will come back. 
    AB Still learning

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